


The Surprise Party

by Starkvenger



Series: Billy Batson Needs More Love [3]
Category: Captain Marvel (DC), Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Shazam (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Billy Batson Is A Precious Child That Needs To Be Protected, Billy Batson-centric, Birthday Cake, Birthday Party, Childhood Memories, DCAU, Gen, Identity Reveal, Minor Injuries, Orphan Billy Batson, Secret Identity, Serious Injuries, Shazam - Freeform, Sidekicks, Superheroes, Tags Are Hard, Young Justice Anon Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-12-11 15:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11717211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starkvenger/pseuds/Starkvenger
Summary: One day The Flash and Green Lantern get an idea in their heads. Every member of the Justice League has celebrated a birthday at the Watchtower at least once- even Batman.All except one, that is.So, the pair asks Batman for help in throwing a surprise party for said hero: Captain Marvel.The only problem?They have no idea when his birthday is.(This fic is actually a chapter from my fic full of one-shots, but I know not everyone likes going through one-shots, so here it is!)





	The Surprise Party

**Author's Note:**

> (This fic is actually a chapter from my fic full of one-shots, but I know not everyone likes going through one-shots, so here it is!)
> 
> Okay, So I may or may not have cried at a few points while writing this...
> 
> I'm probs just really emotional, IDK.
> 
> That being said, please enjoy.

~ ~ | ☆ | ~ ~

 

Barry drummed his fingers rhythmically against the cold metal surface, his eyes darting between screens. Beside him Hal was currently playing solitaire on said surface, concentrating on the cards. 

The blonde leaned back in his chair, continuing his drumming on the arm of said chair. 

No one could say that monitor duty wasn't boring, at least.

He sighed, gaining the attention of his co-worker/friend. 

"You alright there? That's the third time you've dramatically sighed in the last five minutes." Hal said, not looking up from his cards. "Why don't you go get a snack or something? Go stretch your legs. I got this for now." he said, finally looking up.

It was hard to see the man's eyes (  _impossible even, since it was just_   _white_ ) behind the mask, but Barry could tell he was silently poking fun at him. It was just what they did.

"Yeah alright," he said, standing up and stretching, smirking as his back pops and Hal cringed. "Be back in a-"

"I swear to God if you say it I'm going to-"

"-Flash!"

And with that, he darted off towards the kitchens, smirking as the brunet threw up his hands in exasperation. 

Barry slowed to a stop once at the kitchens, surprised to find no one there. There was always someone in the kitchen, whether it be cooking something, snagging something from the fridge, making coffee, or just hanging out- it was a hotspot for socialization.

The blonde shrugged and went to the fridge, peering inside and lighting up with a smile at the first thing he saw.

He pulled out a large red and blue cake, (  _well, a fourth of one at least_ ) with the corner of a giant yellow diamond in the center. It had been for Supes' birthday last week, and he was surprised it hadn't been finished off yet. 

He could fix that.

Barry grinned at the cake, grabbing a knife and cutting off a piece. He then put it back in the fridge and grabbed a fork, dashing back to the monitors. He came to a stop just as Hal was packing up his cards, the brunet looking between him and his cake.

"And you didn't bring  _me_  any?" he asked in mock offense.

The blonde smirked and let out a chuckle, taking a seat and digging in.

"You ever thought about how every hero had spent at least one birthday up here?" Hal asked, pocketing his cards. "I mean, even Batsy, who I would  _never_  have pinned for a party man, agreed to at least have a cake J'onn made."

"Yeah, it's pretty cool if ya think about it," Barry said between bites. He licked the frosting from his lips and continued. "We're like one big super-powered family," he said with a chuckle.

"A super-powered family with a super-powered family photo album." he joked, using one hand to hold his cake and the other to bring up pictures from everyone's 'birthday' party. (  _If they could even be called that._ )

"24 superheroes coming together and celebrating their birthdays is a pretty weird concept if you think about it." He said as he took a bite from the cake.

"Uh, Barry- there's 25 of us." 

"No there's not- Everyone's had a birthday here, and there are only 24 photos."

Hal furrowed his brow, flipping between the photos. Something about them felt off. He knew one either had to be missing, or a Super hadn't celebrated their birthday there. He kept flipping between them, eyes narrowing as he searched.

Barry put down his cake as the brunet looked, furrowing his brow at the thought of someone being forgotten.

"I got it!" Hal said suddenly, slamming his hands down on the table. "Duh! Of course? Why didn't I notice? He's the most enthusiastic out of all of us about these things, and he's never even had one up here!" 

"Who is it?" the speedster asked, raising an eyebrow at the man. 

"Captain Marvel!"

 

~ ~ | ☆ | ~ ~

 

Batman was in the library, staring at the screen that held the League's villain database. He was running a routine check of jailed criminals' behaviors, making notes by names that seemed to have been causing trouble as of late.

He paused when the door to the library flew open, slamming into the wall and echoing throughout the room. The billionaire sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again.

He turned in his chair to find Green Lantern and Flash coming up to him, excitement on their faces. He raised an eyebrow, (  _not that they could tell_ ) at them, and waited for the men to get whatever they had to say off their chests.

It was Barry that spoke up first. 

"Hey Bats, we were wondering-" he started, glancing at Hal before looking back at the Dark Knight. "Do you know if Captain Marvel has ever had a birthday in the Watchtower?" the man licked his lips, gesturing with his hands quickly. 

"Cause we were looking through the pictures of previous ones and didn't find Cap as the star, and we were just curious of the picture was lost or-"

Bruce had stiffened slightly (  _again, not that they could tell_ ) and shifted in his seat. "Captain Marvel has not had a birthday in the Watchtower because his records aren't in the system," he said bluntly, hoping the pair would take that and drop the conversation there.

If only he could be that lucky.

"What do you mean by that?  _Everyone's_  records are in the system!  _You're_  the one who's such a stickler for it!" Hal said, shaking his head a bit. 

"He's a special case," Bruce replied stoically.

Barry raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. He looked like he wanted to ask why, but decided to hold his tongue. "Fine, do you at least know his birthday? We want to know how much time we have to plan a party."

Bruce resisted the urge to stiffen further. He couldn't give them a year, even Billy himself didn't know how old the Captain was supposed to be, and telling them the kid's age was out of the question. "January 24th," he said gruffly. 

Barry and Hal smiled, looking at each other eagerly. 

"That's only a couple days away." the speedster said, rubbing his chin. "We'll have to inform every one of the situation, ask J'onn to make a cake- You know what kind he likes Bats?"

The dark knight's face held the smallest smirk. "Chocolate," he said instantly, remembering the boy's excitement when he'd presented him with chocolate for Christmas.

"Alright- January 24th, 5 pm. Watchtower. A surprise birthday party for the good ol' Cap." Hal said, typing away on his communicator. "Just remove him from the group aaaand...sent." 

"Great. Now leave me to do my work." the vigilante said, rolling his eyes as the pair of men snorted. 

"Will do Bats- oh wait, how old is he turning? Gotta know how many candles to get." The blonde asked, stopping on a dime to look back.

"Uh- I'll get them," he said quickly, to which the pair simply shrugged and agreed easily.

The men walked out of the library, closing the door behind them with a soft click. Bruce was left alone with the monitor and immediately pulled out his phone. He flipped through his contacts, eyes scanning the names until he reached Batson.

He put the phone to his ear as it rang, hoping the boy would pick up soon.

 

~ ~ | ☆ | ~ ~

 

Captain Marvel flew through the skies over Fawcett City, smiling to himself as the wind whipped at his hair. It was refreshing, taking some time to himself like this, just being able to soar through the air and relax. No monsters to fight, not criminals to catch, just him and the open sky.

He flew through a cloud and laughed as it dispersed, pausing to look back at the smaller clouds he helped to make. He would never get over the feeling, being able to fly. It was indescribable- freeing in a way that nothing else was. 

He loved it.

The World's Mightiest Mortal descended beneath the clouds, visually scanning the cityscape he called home as he flew close to the tops of skyscrapers. He then started making his rounds, searching for any sign of danger. He watched contently as children played on swings beneath him, smiling and waving when they excitedly tried getting his attention.

With a laugh he continued on, warmth bubbling in his chest as he made his rounds. 

Suddenly, his communicator went off, making the hero pause for a moment as he fished it out of his suit. Marvel put the device to his ear and answered. "Hello?" he asked, not having bothered to look who was calling.

"Captain."

It was a single word, said by a gruff, deep voice, and the Captain knew immediately who it was. 

"Batman?" he questioned.

Why would Batman be calling him? He hadn't missed a meeting in a couple of months, he wasn't due for rotation for another couple of days- so what could he need?

"Is there an emergency?" the hero asked, pulling himself from his thoughts. "Something wrong that you need me for?"

"No. How old are you?" 

The question threw him for a loop. Batman already knew his secret identity, so why was he asking his age? The man knew he was Billy Batson, knew he was just a kid- so maybe that wasn't Batman. Maybe he was being held hostage. Maybe-

" _Billy_."

His alter ego's name snapped him out of his stupor. Batman wouldn't say his name unless he was really alone. "Yes sir?" he asked.

"How old are you."

"Uh- I'll be turning 11 in a couple of days. Why?" The white caped hero's curiosity peaked- just what was Batman going to do with this information?

"Need to update my database." was all he got in response.

Captain Marvel nodded, only to realize that the caped crusader couldn't see the motion. "Uh- ok. Is that it?" he asked, trying not to sound impolite.

"Actually no. I'll need you to take over monitor duty for Flash on the 24th. be there at 6 pm sharp."

"The 24th?" Cap asked, chewing his bottom lip in thought. That was his birthday...he had been saving the money he found to go buy ice cream with his friend Freddy on that day.

"That's not going to be a  _problem_ , is it Marvel?" his voice was cold, and Cap could practically feel the older man's eyes bearing into him.

"N...no sir..." he said, deflated. "Not a problem at all..."

"Good."

And with that, he hung up, leaving the hero to mull over his thoughts. He licked his lips and swallowed, shaking his head as he put away his communicator. Captain Marvel took a deep breath and let it out, stabilizing himself in the air. 

"It's alright, Batson. You can do it another day. This isn't the first time something like this has happened, so there's no need to get upset." he said, giving himself a small pep talk. "It'll be alright..."

His head snapped up and away from his upset thoughts at the sound of a woman's scream, his instincts kicking into action as he flew down towards the streets.

 

~ ~ | ☆ | ~ ~

 

The next couple of days consisted of Barry and Hal gathering party supplies in various shades of red and gold. Knowing glances were exchanged between the pair when they passed each other in the Watchtower (  _subtly having long gone out the window for them_ ) and plans were exchanged via a large group chat. 

The day before the party, Captain Marvel zeta-beamed up to the Watchtower, humming to himself as he made his way into the kitchen. There he found Barry and Hal talking at a counter, going over a paper they had in front of them, while Cyborg sat at a table, reading the headlines on a hologram as he sipped his coffee. 

Marvel smiled at them, none of them really taking notice though. He walked to the fridge and opened it, peering inside to find some fruit and some yogurt, along with a sandwich that had a Superman sticky note attached to it.

The god grabbed an apple and bit into it, looking around at the heroes once more before he walked out of the kitchen.

This had been happening quite often the past few days- he'd try to say hello or get the attention of a Leaguer, only to get off-handed replies or quick responses. It was like no one wanted to be around him, and while he knew he shouldn't take it personally, he still did.

The man sighed and continued his walk down the hallway, smiling at J'onn and Hawkgirl as they passed. When he got no response he kept walking, trying not to let his feelings be hurt. 

Captain Marvel brightened when he saw Superman and Batman walking towards him in the hall, knowing that they (or at least Batman) wouldn't ignore him. He smiled at them, waving with the hand that wasn't holding an apple. 

They gave him a curt nod and kept walking, leaving the hero to watch them leave. He swallowed thickly, his shoulders slumping as he walked towards a Zeta tube. He needed to get out of here for a while before he was forced into monitor duty for his birthday, his mood soured as the computer called out his name and number.

He warped back to Fawcett City and stepped out of the booth, tossing the core of his apple into a bin and taking off into the sky. 

The Mightiest Mortal thought to himself, chewing on his bottom lip as he flew. Had he done something that the League didn't approve of? He couldn't think of anything. Had he missed a meeting? No, but he'd been close, and Superman had given him a disappointed look for that one. What could it be?

What had he done to deserve the stony silence, even from Batman?

The Captain shook his head and landed on top of a radio tower, taking a seat on the cool metal and watching as the sun began to set over the hills that surrounded Fawcett.

He thought about a lot of things while up there, his mind hopping between things he needed to do, people he needed to check on, and finally settling on one thing.

His parents.

Captain Marvel watched the sun set as a ghost of a smile played on his lips, remembering a time when he was much smaller- before his parents died. 

He could almost hear his dad's voice, echoing in his mind.

 

 _" **Look at that! The big 5! Congrats my little man!"**_  

_His dad picked him up and whirled him around in the air, making the toddler fly._

**_"Da! Gedda cake?"_ **

_The man would stop, gently boop the little boy's nose and smile._

**_"Of course you get cake! Your momma and I got you the best one we could find."_ **

**_"chocat?"_ **

**_"Yes, chocolate! And look-"_ **

_He would then point to a bright, circular blue cake adorned with the Kryptonian's symbol sitting on an old wooden table, with red and white paper stars covering the surface._

**_"Supaman!!"_ **

_BIlly would wiggle in his father's grasp, the man setting him down in a high chair before the cake._

_" **My little boy's growing up!"**_

_His mother- she would smile at him, her eyes the definition of kind and pure._

_They would light the candles- bright red and yellow ones- and would smile at him. They would sing, and Billy would clap along._

_He'd giggle, sparking smiles onto the adults' faces._

**_"Make a wish, honey."_ **

_He would smile at his mother- eyes twinkling as he looked back to the candles._

_**"I wanna be a supahewo!"**  
_

_His parents would smile to each other and gently help him blow out the candles, his father taking a knife to the cake as his mother snapped photos of them._

_**"Now honey, Momma and Da are going to have to leave soon, because we gotta go dig, okay?"**  
_

_His father would try to help him understand, explaining things in a way he could understand._

**_"You're going to stay with my brother, Uncle E, remember?"_ **

_He would nod in response, shoving a fistful of cake into his mouth._

**_"But we'll be back before you know_   _it."_**

_Something tugged at his chest, telling him that wasn't true._

_" **We promise."**_

 

The raven haired man was pulled from the memory with a choked sob, tears welling in his eyes as he came back to himself. 

His throat felt tight, and his nose burned. He was still staring at the horizon, the sun long having since gone down. 

The Captain blinked, rubbing the moisture from his eyes with his sleeve. He then floated above the radio tower, looking around before flying off towards his home.

That night he lay awake in his bed, his small, mortal form staring at the mildew-ridden ceiling of the abandoned apartment building, the memory still fresh in his mind. 

 

~ ~ | ☆ | ~ ~

 

 

The next day, Billy woke up to sunlight streaming in through his window. He yawned and stretched, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he threw the old blanket off himself and got up. 

The boy sat down on the floor in a lotus position like Robin had shown him, breathing deeply. It had become routine to do this every morning, allowing Billy to not only compose himself, but it had also allowed him better control over his powers. 

Since starting this, he had felt faster- able to keep up with the Flash, and his magical attacks felt more focused and powerful. 

After thirty minutes of meditation and stretching, (thankfully a watch had come built into his comm) the raven-haired boy stood and took a deep breath. He let it out and smiled, looking at the sunlight that streamed in through the boards that covered the window.

Billy then grabbed the crumpled dollar bills he had under his mattress and shoved them into his pocket, pulling on his shoes and practically running down the stairs. He didn't have to go to monitor duty until this evening, so the boy could spend the day however he liked. 

He went to the diner around the corner as his first stop, (the lady that owned the place having been giving him free toast every morning after seeing how thin he was).

A few minutes later he was strolling down the street, a second piece of toast in hand as he finished off the first with a couple of bites.

It was a Thursday, meaning that Freddy would be in school until 4 pm, so if Billy were able to catch him at the right time, he may just be able to spend his birthday with him after all.

The boy hummed to himself as he continued walking, pausing at the sound of clattering trash cans coming from the alley. He furrowed his brow and swallowed the food, peering into the dark alley carefully. 

Sure, he could Shazam and become Captain Marvel right then and there, take care of any problem that needed to be solved, but if there was nothing wrong, and it was simply a scared animal or homeless person rummaging, then the Captain may scare them.

Billy stepped carefully into the alley way, looking around for the source of the noise.

"Hello?" he called out nervously, beginning to think the sound was nothing at all. He was about to turn around when he felt something heavy connect with the back of his head, and everything went black.

~ ~ | ☆ | ~ ~

When he came to, Bily found that his head was pounding. He was laying in the middle of the alley still, but there was a strange woozy-ness to everything he looked at. As he tried to gain his bearings, he noticed that the sun had moved significantly in the sky. 

Billy winced as he sat up, bracing himself on his arms as he tried to get the world around him to stop spinning. He dug around in his pockets to find that his money was gone, and now that he was able to see his feet, so were his shoes. 

His shoulders slumped and his let out a breath, sitting up completely and looking in his other pocket. 

Thankfully, his comm was still there, and he pulled it out to look at the time. It read "5:43 pm" in bright numbers, the boy being put on edge.

He was knocked out for the entire day. He had missed his chance to hang out with his best friend, and if he didn't get to moving soon, he'd be late to monitor duty.

Billy grunted and winced as his body protested against him getting up, but he did so anyway, having to stabilize himself on a nearby trashcan. He took a shaky step forward, feeling his legs almost buckle beneath him, but held tight onto the trash can.

After stabilizing himself once more, he tried again, this time his steps being more fluid and steady. After a few moments, Billy found himself walking out of the alley, his head pounding and vision only slightly blurred.

He walked down the sidewalk towards the place he knew the Zeta tubes were, slowly but surely gaining back his balance and non-wobbly walking ability. When he got to the fence, he looked around to make sure no one was there, and ducked underneath, wincing as his head grazed the wood.

Once inside the small lot, he looked around once more, just to make sure there was no one around, and shouted the words.

"SHAZAM!"

Lightning came down and crashed, smoke billowing out as he was transformed into the World's Mightiest Mortal.

The pain in his head went away in an instant, as did the fuzzy and swaying world. His mind felt clear again, and for that, Billy was thankful.

Still, he should probably talk to Batman about it when he got up there.

The caped hero stepped into the Zeta tube as it scanned him, beaming him up to the Watchtower. 

 

~ ~ | ☆ | ~ ~

 

When he arrived, the computer rang out his name and number and he stepped out. The first thing he noticed was that all the lights were out. The Captain furrowed his brow and looked around, narrowing his eyes. "Hello...?" he called out, peering into the darkness.

While his eyesight was better than the average human's, he still couldn't see all that well in the dark. He walked over to the monitors and attempted to turn them on, but when they didn't he was confused.

Had they had a power outage? Could this place even run out of power? 

His mind went back to before, and the urgency of needing to tell Batman what happened. 

"Batman?" he called out, looking around. He flipped the light switch, but no lights came on. "Batman, are you here? Something... really bad happened..." he trailed off, unsure as to if there were any other Leaguers, or worse, villains, around.

"Batman, seriously, if you're here, I need your help," he said, and assuming no one was in the main area, he walked into the hallway.

The caped hero looked around, jaw set as he tried to search for any signs of life.

The place seemed to be deserted, the halls empty and dark, save for the light that came in through the windows.

Suddenly, he felt a strange, sharp pain in the back of his head, turning to find no one behind him, and when he brought his hand to the back of his head, nothing there. He blinked, his vision swirling for a moment.

"Ngh- ...Oh no..." he muttered, holding his head.

He knew that Cap could hang on for longer than Billy could- that he wouldn't age in this form, but that didn't keep his other half from suffering from the injuries he had sustained.

And if Billy went down, so did the Captain.

"Br-" he stammered, taking a couple of staggering steps forward. He braced himself against the window. "Bru-" he tried again, noticing a light coming from the kitchen.

He took a ragged breath, really starting to feel the pain from his other half. Everything was beginning to spin, and his steps were becoming more clumsy as time went on.

"Ple... Zeus...let it be..t-them.," he muttered a prayer to the Gods, opening the door to the kitchen to find the League standing before him, smiles on their faces.

"SURPRISE!!!!" 

That was the last thing he heard before he collapsed into the floor, everything going black once more.

 

~ ~ | ☆ | ~ ~

 

By the time Bruce had arrived at the Watchtower, Barry and Hal had already set everything up in the kitchen. The cabinets were adorned with red and yellow streamers, and there were gold and red balloons tied to some of the chairs around the room. 

On the counter, there was an array of snacks- crackers, chips, candy, even a salad bar. In the center of it all sat a bright yellow lightning-bolt shaped cake, with red icing trimming and the words "Happy Birthday" written on it in white fondant.  

The caped crusader pulled out a small red sparkler candle, putting it on the cake and stepping back. 

"No numbers, huh?" Barry asked, walking up to him with a smirk. "Not even gonna give us his age? Bet I can guess." 

Bruce raised an eyebrow at him, shaking his head at the man. 

"24."

"No."

"23."

"No."

"20?"

"No."

"He's gotta be in his twenties. He's not in his thirties, is he?"  

"Nope."

"I'll get it out of you, Bruce, one way or another."

"No, you won't."

And with that, Barry went to talk to Diana and Clark, who were pouring cups of soda. 

The dark knight checked his watch- 5:56 pm. He'd be there soon. 

His thought seemed to be mirrored by Hal's because he spoke up. 

"Alright guys, it's nearly time, let's shut down the power to the main room and the lights to everywhere else."

Cyborg did just that, pulling up a video feed of the main area. The heroes watched it intently, waiting for the big red cheese to appear. 

When he did, Bruce noticed something...off. 

The Captain was immediately put on edge when he noticed the lights off and called out. He seemed to be looking around, checking for any sign of danger. Bruce felt himself smile. Good instincts, kid. He then called out again.

**"Batman?"**

Some of the group looked at him, and Burce himself was confused. Why would the kid call out for him first? 

**"Batman, are you here? Something... really bad happened..."**

Bruce knew the tone of that voice. When he said something bad happened, he meant something happened to him. To Billy. The hero was still on edge though, looking around for any signs of wrong.

The Dark Knight tensed, his eyes widening slightly. "I should go out there," he said, swallowing thickly.

"No man! You'll ruin the surprise." Hal said back, shaking his head. "Let him come to us."

**"Batman, seriously, if you're here, I need your help."**

Bruce nearly ran out of the room at those words, the only thing keeping him there being that he was in the center of the group, watching the feed.

The hero seemed to pause, bringing his head up to touch the back of his head as he walked into the hallway. The Captain braced himself on the window, his breathing getting shallower by the minute. 

Marvel muttered something to himself, looking towards the kitchen. Bruce's eyes widening at the man's obvious pain.

How could no one else see this?

Suddenly, the feed was cut off, as Cyborg looked towards the door. "He's coming." 

Bruce all but leaped up, getting as close to the door as he could before it opened, revealing a swaying Captain Marvel.

"SURPRISE!" the heroes voices rang out, just as Marvel went crashing to the ground.

Bruce dove and caught the man, keeping him from hitting the hard tile. His breathing was ragged, his eyes lidded shut, his skin pale. Something really, really bad must have happened to Billy for Marvel to be affected like this.

He patted the man's face, trying to coax him awake, but he was out cold. 

"Superman. Get him to the med-bay. Now."

His voice left no room for argument, though he wouldn't get any since none of the heroes had ever seen the Captain go down like this before.

The Kryptonian lifted him up and carried him out of the room, Batman running along side him as they hurried to the medical wing.

 

~ ~ | ☆ | ~ ~

 

Batman stood by the bed where the white caped hero lay, typing on the computer as Superman stood behind him. "Clark, you need to go. I have to get him up, and when I do, no one can be in here." Bruce said quickly, trying to give the Man Of Steel a vague reason why he would have to get out of the room.

"Like hell, Bruce. He's hurt, now I don't know what happened, but I'm not going to just abandon the man."

Bruce growled in response, finishing what he needed to type and checking the hero physically. "I'm not saying you have to leave. Just wait outside. I have to check his vitals and there's only one way I can do it."

Clark seemed to think on it, glancing between him and the demigod. "Fine," he said, walking out of the room, just as the rest of the heroes were coming up. Superman shut the door behind him, and Bruce could hear his voice on the other side of the door. 

"Computer shut down the room. Lock the door and turn off the cameras," he instructed, a large metal slate coming down over the door. The Dark Knight heard banging coming from the other side, but he ignored it.

He got closer to the man, pulling out a taser. "Sorry kid," he muttered before jamming it into his chest and turning it on.

Waves of electricity coursed through Marvel's body, His eyes snapping open and breath sputtering. 

"Cap....Cap-  _Billy_ ," Bruce said, holding onto the shoulders of the much larger man as he tried to gain his bearings. "I need to take your vitals, but you have to power down. Can you do that?' he asked quietly, to which the hero nodded, his chest heaving.

"Ye..yea.." he said weakly, giving Bruce a chance to back up. 

"Sh-Shazam."

There was a flash of lightning and smoke billowed out from where the large hero had previously been. The computers in the room fizzed and shut down, and the lights flickered. Bruce had to cover himself with his cape from the light and heat, looking up a moment later to see BIlly laying in the Captain's place, his skin even paler than he had excepted.

"What happened?" Bruce asked, coming closer once more and adjusting the boy. As he did, he noticed a deep red stain on the sheet where BIlly's head had been, and his eyes widened. He helped the boy sit up and looked at the back of his head, finding his hair matted to his head with blood. 

His scalp looked mutilated- like some kind of animal had attacked his head. Bruce's felt his breath get stuck in his throat, fear overtaking him. He was just a kid. He couldn't let this be the end of him. Billy could do so much more, he didn't deserve this-

Bruce heard the banging on the other side of the door get louder, but continued to ignore it in favor of propping Billy up against a pillow, the boy's head bobbing forward as he tried to keep his eyes open.

"It's alright Billy," Bruce said quietly, pulling out a syringe. "I'm gonna help you." he stick the needle into the small's boy's arm, watching wince and go under.

Bruce took a deep breath and set the needle down, grabbing some supplies and setting to work.

 

~ ~ | ☆ | ~ ~

 

 When Billy woke up, he found himself lying in a bed, covered by a thick blanket. It was warm, and he relished in it for a moment before remembering where he was. His eyes snapped open and he looked around the room, finding it empty. 

The boy tried to sit up, only to feel a sharp pain in his head. He lifted his hand to touch it and found bandages wrapping his head, his head pressed against his skin. "Wha..?" he muttered, dropping the hand. 

Thankfully, he wasn't laying down completely, so he could still make out most of his surroundings. There was a tube leading from his small wrist that fed into a tall IV. The computers around him beeped rhythmically, and apart from their sound, it was quiet.

"H-hello?" he called out, his throat scratchy from lack of use. How long had he been out? The last thing he remembered was powering down because Bruce asked him to...

Wait.

He was in the Watchtower. 

As  _Billy Batson_.

The boy swallowed thickly, eyes widened in fear. "Oh no..." he breathed out, the words so quiet you could barely hear them. 

Suddenly, the door to the room opened, revealing Batman. They shut just as quickly as they had opened, leaving him and Bruce in peace. Billy looked up at the Dark Knight, swallowing thickly. 

Bruce walked to a computer and looked at it, glancing at Billy before taking a seat in the chair beside his bed. 

"How're you feeling?"

Billy blinked, confused by the question. "I uh- fine," he said, which for the most part was true. "My head still kind of hurts, but not as bad."

"That's good." 

The boy glanced at the door, then at Batman. "D-do they know?" 

Bruce hummed, glancing up from a clipboard that had made its way into his hands. "I'm the only one who had been in or out of this room," he said, not really answering the boy's question.

Billy furrowed his brow, reaching out to take the clipboard from him. "But do they know?"

The man sighed, hanging the clipboard back up. "More or less."

"Are they mad...?" 

"I'm not sure...at the moment, I think they're more worried than anything."

Billy mentally berated himself. He'd been so, so careful over the past couple of years, only to have an injury to the head mess it all up. Now the League was going to kick him out- and on his  _birthday_ , too...

"I wouldn't be surprised if they hate me for this." he said, slumping in bed. 

Bruce furrowed his brow, shaking his head at the child's words. "They don't hate you."

"How do you know?"

His eyes were glistening, tear welling up in them as he stared at the Dark Knight. Bruce couldn't help but feel for the kid- he cared about the team so much, and he knew that Billy would be heartbroken if the League did end up kicking him out. 

"You wanna know how I know?" he asked, taking off his cowl. Billy furrowed his brow, tilting his head at the action.

The boy stared into his eye, looking for something that would give some kind of explanation that Bruce wasn't telling him. In the end, he settled for a nod.

"Computer, disable lockdown."

Billy's eyes widened when the large metal slate came up off the door, revealing a regular wooden one instead. He tensed when he noticed the handle turning, the door opening to reveal Flash, along with rest of the group. (From what he could tell, that is.)

The adults seemed to stare at him, with Barry stepping forward first, something in his hands. Billy craned his neck to try and see what it was but was given his answer when Flash set it down on his lap.

It was a cake.

A birthday cake.

The child's eyes widened as he stared at the cake, not noticing how the rest of the group managed to squeeze into the room. He looked up and met the eyes of the heroes, glancing between them and the cake. 

"I-Is this for me?" he asked timidly.

Hal chuckled, leaning on Barry. "Well, I don't see any  _other_  birthday boys around here, do you?" he asked, a smirk on his face. Maybe things wouldn't change, then.

He could only hope.

The boy blinked, looking back down at the cake. Tears welled in his eyes once more, though this time, they were happy tears. He smiled at them, gratitude evident in his face. "You're not mad?" he asked. 

Diana stepped forward then. 

"Of course not, Captain. We all have a right to a secret identity, and that includes you."

"However-" Clark cut in, arms crossed loosely over his chest. "This is a matter we will have to discuss later."

Billy nodded, looking back at the cake. "Oh- um, and my name's not Captain. At least not like this. I'm Billy. Billy Batson."

"Make a wish, kiddo," Bruce said as he lit the candle.

The raven-haired boy glanced around him and back at the candle. There was a lot of things he could wish for- a home, new clothes, toys, you name it. But he didn't. He had all that he needed right there.

"I already got my wish." he said, giving them a cheeky smile.

Bruce furrowed his brow at the boy. "What is it?"

"I'm a superhero."

 

~ ~ | ☆ | ~ ~

 

THE END! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, If you liked it, please leave a kudos or comment!
> 
> I really like reading what you guys have to say! :)


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